Okanagan company teams with London Drugs to help seniors

Photo: Contributed

An Okanagan company is teaming up with London Drugs to help seniors this holiday season.

Home Instead Senior Care is helping to make sure no Okanagan senior goes without a present or some companionship this season.

"Every year, the Kelowna community supports the Be a Santa to a Senior program, aiming to provide local seniors – particularly those in long-term care homes – with companionship and gifts during the holiday season," says Janine Karlsen, Owner of the Home Instead office serving Kelowna, West Kelowna and Penticton.

The program launches next Wednesday, November 27th and runs through until December 13th. 

Karlsen tells Castanet the Okanagan has embraced the program and brought smiles to the faces of 850 seniors last year. The volunteers work like Santa's elves in the background, making the tags, picking up and wrapping the gifts and finally delivering the presents.

"This year the tags will go up on the 22nd of November and all gifts must be in by December 12th, delivery to the seniors will be between the 16th and 19th of December," says Karlsen.

The public can participate by visiting a Home Instead tree, which will have tags with seniors’ names and gift ideas at the following London Drugs locations:

• London Drugs, Kelowna (1950 Harvey Avenue)
• London Drugs, West Kelowna (2151 Louie Drive)

“The Be a Santa to a Senior program is all about including seniors in the joy of the holiday season,” Karlsen says, “a simple gift shows them they are a loved and vital member of our community.”